Something You Hear Little of – The Dublin Agreement
One question a lot of people ask these days, is why people crossing the channel on dinghies has risen since Brexit? Surely the benefit of Brexit was to curtail such a thing? Increasing Crossings The figures don’t appear to back up any alleged Brexit benefit. In the year Boris Johnson’s Oven Ready Brexit was finalised, 8500 people crossed the channel. In 2021 it was 23,000 and in 2022, the figure rose again to 45,756. So, why is ...
2023, How Will it Be?
For several years now, it has felt like every new year becomes worse than the last. If we roll it right back, it all started with David Cameron. In 2015, he concluded that his only way to an election majority was to pacify the party wack jobs with a referendum. He gambled, thinking the public wouldn’t be as stupid as the swivel eyed lunatics on his back benches. Bad call. Eton Rivals What Cameron didn’t reckon on was his charismatic ...
Farewell Terry Hall
I remember a few years back when George Michael died, I found it a bit odd how morose some people were. The main demographic was women of a certain age who felt connected to him. It was not until later I appreciated what a decent, yet vulnerable bloke he was. It was a sad demise for someone who was generous, funny and always prepared to send himself up (see Ricky Gervais’s Extras). Yet, I still didn’t understand the connected sadness. ...
Unions, Strikes and Travel Disruption
I run my own little business, so I don’t have a union. However, if I worked for a large corporation or the public sector, I would join one straight away. If you work without representation, you are affectively a slave, hoping things go your way. Not being in a union means I am not an expert in how they operate. However, as I understand it, members vote for a leader and that leader represents them. When there is discontent over working ...
A View From the Chaise Longue – It’s Tears Again!
I met a couple of my son George’s friends in Winchester yesterday. On a busy and buoyant Christmas afternoon the temptation was there to hang about and watch the game. However, the chaise longue had served England well and to desert it now would surely mean defeat. That’s right, England's fate rested on me staying loyal to a piece of furniture. Uneasy Confidence During the drive home, I felt an almost uneasy sense of confidence. ...